Catch the Full Worm “Blood” Moon: A Lunar Eclipse
The full Worm “Blood” Moon reaches its peak in the morning hours of Friday, March 14. What is a Worm Moon? What is a Blood Moon? Here are the real meaning and origins of March’s full Moon—and when you can see this Moon at its brightest!
2025 March Lunar Eclipse: The Blood Moon
However, this is more than just another full Moon! There is also going to be a Total Lunar Eclipse, also known as a Blood Moon. During a lunar eclipse, the Sun, Moon, and Earth all align so that the Earth comes in between the Moon and Sun. This means that the Earth will cast a shadow over the Moon (also known as the umbra). When the Moon is in the umbra of the Earth, the Earth casts a reddish shadow, hence the name Blood Moon. 
This lunar eclipse is visible from all of North America. The Moon will enter the penumbra at 11:56 P.M. EDT (8:56 P.M. PDT) on March 13 and the umbra at 1:09 A.M. EDT on March 14 (10:09 P.M. PDT, March 13). It will leave the umbra at 4:48 A.M. EDT (1:48 A.M. PDT) on March 14 and the penumbra at 6:02 A.M. EDT (3:02 A.M. PDT).
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Learn more about the Blood Moon phenomenon.
When to See the Full Worm Moon in March 2025
Specifically, March’s full Worm “Blood” Moon reaches peak illumination at 2:55 A.M. ET on Friday, March 14, 2025.
Of course, you don’t have to wait until the middle of the night to see the Moon! Look for the spectacularly bright Moon as it rises above the horizon on Thursday evening. If your weather is poor on Thursday night, try again on Friday! See when the Moon will be visible in your area.
If you have just a bit of rain on either of these nights, you may even get to spot a rare phenomenon called a moonbow. A moonbow is just like a solar rainbow but is created by moonlight (rather than sunlight) when it is refracted through water droplets in the air. Moonbows only happen when the full Moon is fairly low in the sky, so look for one in the hours after sunset when the sky is dark. Learn more about moonbows here!
This March Moon will look especially large to us when it’s near the horizon because of the “Moon illusion,” which is when it looks bigger when near comparative objects than it does when it’s high in the sky without any references.
Why Is It Called the Worm Moon?
The full Moon names used by The Old Farmer’s Almanac come from a number of places, including Native American, Colonial American, and European sources. Traditionally, each full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, not only to the full Moon.
The Surprising Truth Behind the Worm Moon Name
March’s full Moon goes by the name Worm Moon. For many years, we thought this name referred to the earthworms that appear as the soil warms in spring. This invites robins and other birds to feed—a true sign of spring!
However, more research revealed another explanation. In the 1760s, Captain Jonathan Carver visited the Naudowessie (Dakota) and other Native American tribes and wrote that the name Worm Moon refers to a different sort of “worm”—beetle larvae—which begin to emerge from the thawing bark of trees and other winter hideouts at this time.
Alternative March Moon Names
There are quite a few names for the March Moon that speak to the transition from winter to spring. Some refer to the appearance (or reappearance) of certain animals, such as the Eagle Moon, Goose Moon (Algonquin, Cree), or Crow Comes Back Moon (Northern Ojibwe), while others refer to signs of the season:
- The Sugar Moon (Ojibwe) marks the time of year when the sap of sugar maples starts to flow.
- The Wind Strong Moon (Pueblo) refers to the strong, windy days that come at this time of year.
- The Sore Eyes Moon (Dakota, Lakota, Assiniboine) highlights the blinding rays of sunlight that reflect off the melting snow of late winter.
→ See all 12 months of full Moon names and meanings.
Moon Phases for March 2025
All dates and times listed here are Eastern Time. See our Moon Phase Calendar for local times.
March Moon Phase Dates and Times
.png){kind=small} | First Quarter: March 6, 11:31 A.M. ET |
.png){kind=small} | Full Moon: March 14, 2:55 A.M. ET |
.png){kind=small} | Last Quarter: March 22, 7:29 A.M. ET |
.png){kind=small} | New Moon: March 29, 6:58 A.M. ET |
→ When is the next full Moon? Consult our Full Moon Calendar to find out!
March Worm Moon Video
Each month, we explain the traditional names of the full Moon along with some fascinating Moon facts. In this video, learn about the full Worm Moon, Moon illusions, and when and why the Moon rides high or low in the sky. Click below to watch the video.
Best Days in March 2025
Below are the best days for activities based on the Moon’s sign and phase in March.
For Planting:
Aboveground crops: 7-9
Belowground crops: 17-19
For Setting Eggs: 14, 15
For Fishing: 1-14, 29-31
→See Best Days for more activities.
See more Full Moon Names and share your thoughts about this month’s Moon below!
Catherine Boeckmann
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Hi, Kathleen, We’d be happy to send you the Almanac Companion newsletter straight to your email box. Just look at the top right corner of our Web site for a box that says “Free Almanac Newsletters” and type your email. It’s that easy! Thanks, your Almanac editors
Very interesting
Like to know
In 2017, the March full Moon is on the 12th. To see the next full Moon or full Moon dates in 2017, go to our Full Moon Dates calendar here: http://www.almanac.com/astronomy/moon
I Love looking at the Full Moon when we have one - now I'll check when we have the next one. Thanks for the info from The Farmer's Almanac - love the recipes
hi thanks for a relly informative page
It drives me crazy seeing all these websites saying that the Full Moon is called either the Worm Moon or the Crow Moon. No body knows how to research. So let me educate you all. The Full Moon is called the STORM MOON. It is called that because of the seasonal storms to come.
It drives me crazy hearing people think that they know everything and just because someone has something different to say they must be wrong. The farmer's almanac has been around since Christ was a carpenter and have used these terms all that time. You may have different terms but they are using Algonquin terms which have probably been around longer than whoever made up your terms.
The Farmers Almanac will refer to the March full moon as names adapted from the northern Native American tribes because that is when snd where The Farmers Almanac was published. It hasnt been around since "Christ", it's been around since George Washington. It was published by Benjamin Franklin first as Poor Richard's Almanac and has been a seasonal go-to ever since. Of course Im sure there are many other religions and regions around the world that have the same concept of an almanac and have probably been around for way longer. But "The Farmer's Almanac" is only around 300 years old. Also the moon has many names :) so dont be upset when people refer to it by it's regional name. In many northern areas, this is what it's known by.
